Pamela Bernardo, MSN, AGPCNP, RN

My mom fully and truly inspired me to get into nursing. I was very set on becoming a physician, but my mom was diagnosed with cancer the first time when I was young, and then again when I was in college. Seeing what she went through and the care that she received, which was phenomenal by both nurses and doctors, but really seeing the whole person to provider interaction between the nurses that were with her all day versus the physicians who have a much higher caseload, really solidified my decision to pursue nursing. She ended up being diagnosed a third time, and I went through my own pre-cancer journey because I ended up having a double mastectomy myself just over 4 years ago. She's in remission now and she's healthy, and she's a three-time cancer survivor. Those amazing nurses that cared for her inspired me to get into the field, and I've never looked back.

The best career advice I've ever received is to never stop learning. I learned this from my CNO, who has had a vast career. The day that you feel like you've learned everything there is to know, whether it's as a nurse, as a nurse executive, in any career really, then that's the day in which I think you might want to consider retiring or re-evaluate things, because there's something new to learn every day. It could be from a brand new nurse that has a different perspective on how to do something that maybe you had not thought about because you're so used to doing something in a certain way that works for you, or just refreshing your skills. The amount of times that I've gone in because a nurse needs help and they're brand new nurses, and as I'm watching them do something, I learn something new or I remember something and think of a different way in which we could do it. There's always something new to learn in nursing. Always. My mantra for any of my staff that I've managed is to always go into every experience with a humble heart. I don't care if you've been a nurse for 30 years, there's always something new that you can learn.

If I was speaking to any other young woman, I would absolutely tell them, do not let your past or your current present dictate your future. I'm a pure example of that. I am an immigrant. I was not a citizen until I was an adult. My parents arrived in this country with absolutely nothing. We were on government assistance until I was about in my teens. After that, my parents both worked around the clock to give my brother and I all of our basic needs. We never needed anything, but it was very difficult. If you would have asked me 30-something years ago to envision where I am today, I couldn't have. So never let your current situation dictate your future, whether it's your grades currently in college, or your background and where you come from versus where you see yourself. Always, always, always dream of what you want, and it will come. I was not a good student at all. I graduated with barely a passing GPA, and not really being sure of where I stood in life. And now, looking at myself wrapping up a year with what would equate to a 4.0 at this incredible institution with so many people that have supported me, it's incredible. I could never have done what I've done without every single person who's pushed me along the way.